TY - JOUR
TI - Resolving the paradox of interdependency and strategic renewal in activity systems
AU - Albert, Daniel
AU - Kreutzer, Markus
AU - Lechner, Christoph
PY - 2014
N2 - We examine an intriguing paradox regarding whether interdependencies in an organization’s activity system enable or hinder strategic renewal, i.e., the incremental process through which an organization continuously adapts to the environment and explores opportunities to invoke change in its activity choices and outputs. One research stream, the “inertial view”, argues that the pervasiveness of interdependencies among activities increases inertia, which inhibits strategic renewal. Another research stream, the “adaptive view”, argues that the pervasiveness of interdependencies among activities allows for a rich flow of resources and information, which enables strategic renewal. In this paper, we argue that both views provide important insights but arrive at conflicting conclusions because they focus on different dimensions of interdependency. To resolve this paradox, we distinguish between an activity system’s interdependency patterns and interdependency rules. We propose that the dimensions of the interdependency pattern set the context in which the dimensions of the interdependency rules guide the exchange of resources and information among interdependent activities. Integrating these two components of an activity system’s interdependency design leads to a “dual understanding” of interdependency as both pattern and rule and helps explain how the inertial forces of interdependency patterns may be overcome by putting appropriate interdependency rules in place.
PB - Academy of Management
CY - Briarcliff Manor, NY
SN - 0363-7425
JF - Academy of Management Review
VL - forthcoming
SP - 1
EP - 55
ER -
TY - THES
TI - Strategic Renewal of Activitiy Systems: An Interdependency Perspective
UR - https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/Publikationen/225863
AU - Albert, Daniel
PY - 2013
N2 - A growing literature stream conceptualizes organizations, their strategy, and business models as complex systems of interdependent activity choices. Accordingly, firms have to make decisions about which activities to engage in and to what extent. Choices made are interdependent with one another and thereby influence whether the system as a whole is internally consistent and fits its environment. The interdependencies among activity choices are found to be central to understanding sources of competitive advantage and the system’s ability to undergo continuous strategic renewal. Despite the prominent role of interdependency in activity systems, little is known about the sources of interdependency in activity systems. Moreover, the literature does not agree on the role of interdependency on strategic renewal. While some studies suggest that interdependencies among activities lead to inertia, other studies suggest that they create variety and conflict, which can lead to strategic renewal.
In three essays, I revisit the extant literature on activity systems and strategic renewal with a particular focus on interdependency to address these gaps. In the first essay, I explore the constituting elements of an activity system and identify the influence they have on the overall interdependency design. In the second essay, a theoretical framework that distinguishes between interdependency structure and rules is proposed to reconcile paradox findings of the relationship between interdependency and strategic renewal. In the third essay, I analyze different types of interdependency modularity and concentration in activity systems on the likelihood of activity domain recombination. Hypotheses are tested and supported in a longitudinal sample of the European banking industry between the years 2000 and 2011. Overall, the central claim of this thesis is that interdependencies can enable and inhibit strategic renewal and that this is dependent upon the distribution of interdependencies and the set of rules they follow.
Download: http://www1.unisg.ch/www/edis.nsf/SysLkpByIdentifier/4133?OpenDocument&lang=en
PB - Difo-Druck Bamberg
SP - 143
ER -
TY - CASE
TI - Vontobel Group: Managing an Integrated Business Model
AU - Albert, Daniel
AU - Lechner, Christoph
PY - 2010
PB - ECCH, European Case Clearing House
ER -
TY - RPRT
TI - Private Banking in Switzerland - Quo Vadis?: Joint Publication of KPMG and University of St. Gallen
UR - https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/Publikationen/56594
AU - Lechner, Christoph
AU - Kreutzer, Markus
AU - Albert, Daniel
AU - Boppel, Michael
AU - Oh, Lyndon
AU - Hempel, Glenn
PY - 2009
N2 - A study carried out by the University of St.Gallen and KPMG shows that private banking in Switzerland faces fundamental change. However, in the view of 30 leading private banks, the sector has really only just begun to analyze the situation and not yet launched the process of making adjustments to their business strategy. Growth will occur primarily abroad and there is a question if enough Swiss banks in their current form are well positioned to take best advantage of this trend.
PB - HSG & KPMG
CY - Switzerland
ER -